Somewhere In Neverland
by LightLeadingMe
Summary: High school AU with the fab four. Will and Grace are dating because Will is still trying to deny that he's gay. Jack is gay, but hiding it from his mother, and pretending to be in a relationship with Karen. Karen hates her home life with Lois and her boyfriend, Bernie.
1. Chapter 1

Jack frowned as he slowly roused from his sleep, feeling a light breeze wash over him and then the click of a mechanism locking in place. He turned over in his full bed just in time to see Karen kicking off her sneakers before she lifted the covers and slid in beside him. He peered over at her for a few moments, his eyes still blurred with sleep until she came into focus and he realized she had dried tear stains on her cheeks. She folded her hands under her chin and stared up at him with a sigh.

"I hate her."

Jack sighed and reached over, brushing a long strand of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. "What happened?"

Karen rolled her eyes and sniffed, feeling her emotions starting to rise back to the surface. Jack was the only one of their friends that she let her guard down around, the others thinking she was emotionless and cold. "She and Bernie came home drunk again. I was doing my homework so I didn't have a chance to do the dishes yet. Bernie went off the wall about how I'm lazy and of course my mom took his side and she made me go to my room for the rest of the night and wouldn't let me finish my homework and I just... I hate her. I hate them."

Jack studied her silently for a minute, seeing the unshed tears in her eyes reflecting off the moonlight. "Did he hurt you again?" Her silent stare was enough of an answer for him and he felt anger rise up inside him.

"Its okay, Jackie-"

"No, it's not," he demanded. "He has no right to hurt you or touch you at all!"

"Hey," she whispered and reached her hand out, resting it on his cheek. "I'll be 18 in two months and then I'll be out of there, okay? No more Bernie and definitely no more Lois."

He furrowed his brows, upset that his best friend had to deal with a shitty home life, but he was also glad she knew she could come to him. "How did you get out?"

"Fire escape."

Jack slid his hand down to her hip, his fingers brushing the skin beneath the material of her large shirt and Karen held her breath as he tugged it up to just beneath her breasts. He guided her on to her back and reached over to turn on the bedside lamp as he sat astride her. His knees were positioned on either side of her hips and he searched her body for marks that may have formed at the hand of her mother's boyfriend. He found her alabaster skin clear except for one spot on her ribs that was a nasty purple in the shape of a line. His finger grazed the sensitive area and Karen flinched slightly. He looked down at her in question.

"He shoved me into my room and I hit the bookshelf," she told him quietly, her eyes filled with turmoil.

Jack shook his head and leaned down, letting his warm lips touch the bruise in a soft kiss. He sat back on his heels and pulled her shirt back down. "Better?"

Karen grinned as she stared up at him. "Much better."

He nodded and resumed his position beside her, turning off the lamp as he went. They stared silently at each other for a few moments longer before Karen scooted forward and tucked her head under his chin, her arm wrapping around his waist. Jack pressed a kiss to the top of her head and held her tight in his arms, both of them falling asleep fairly quickly.

* * *

Judith McFarland just finished setting the table for breakfast when she glanced at the clock and realized she needed wake her son or else he was going to be late for school. She turned on her heel and strode down the hallway towards the bedrooms with an extra kick in her step. Once she reached his bedroom door she raised her hand up and knocked politely three times before she entered. Her mouth was open and ready to greet him to the new day, but she stopped short when she saw her son in bed with a girl. He had his arm protectively around her, her back pressed to his front, their hands laced together and resting on her breast, and they were sleeping peacefully. Judith knew Karen had a hard home life, but that didn't mean they could have sleepovers. It was entirely inappropriate.

She leaned down and gently shook Jack's shoulder, waking him up. He slowly opened his eyes and first peered down lovingly at Karen who stayed asleep before he realized his mother was looking at him disapprovingly. He sat up, disentangling himself from Karen, careful not to wake her and he looked apologetically up at Judith. She didn't say anything to him, she only pointed behind her as sign for him to meet her in the kitchen. He sighed and climbed out of the bed, still mindful of Karen and thanking the fact that she was a heavy sleeper. He met his mom in the kitchen, wiping the sleep from his eyes. "Look, mom-"

"I don't want any excuses, Jackie," she started in on him. "You know the rules of this house."

He sighed. "I do know the rules, but she needs somewhere safe she can go."

"I understand that, but next time she stays in the guest room. And you ask permission first."

He nodded, a smile playing at his lips. "Thank you for understanding."

Judith stepped over and kissed his cheek. "I gotta go to work, honey. Breakfast is all ready. Have a good day at school, okay?"

He waved goodbye to her and when he heard the door close he walked back to his bedroom to find Karen still sleeping in his bed. He tried waking her several times, but they were all feeble attempts. Eventually he resorted to just picking her up as he would a small child. She automatically wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs tight around his waist. He carried her to the kitchen and sat her down on one of the kitchen chairs.

"Nooooo," she whined, laying her head on the table in protest, her hair falling in sheets around her face and shoulders.

"Come on, Karebear. We need to eat fast or else we're going to be late for school."

She sat up slowly, her shoulders slumped with a pout on her tired face. "I need to change. And I don't have my backpack."

Around a mouthful of eggs, Jack agreed. "We'll run by your apartment on our way."

"Jackieeee," she sighed and stood from the table, plopping herself down on his lap. "Can't we skip together? Go to the park? Go see a movie?"

He shook his head, his arm secure around her waist so she didn't fall. "We can't, Kare. We both have a biology test today."

"Please?" She pressed a kiss to his neck, trailing her lips up his jaw. "I'll let you French kiss me," she whispered in his ear, causing him to shiver.

Jack considered it, but only for a moment before he shook his head and stood his ground. "No. We are going to school. Besides, I'm gay. I can't be swayed by your feminine wiles."

She snorted in laughter and shook her head. "Yeah right. This coming from the boy who spent the better part of the summer dry humping me in the backseat of his car-"

"I was confused!" he defended himself. "I needed to make sure that I wasn't enjoying it."

"You weren't?" she feigned hurt, but she really was teasing him.

"Well, yeah, I enjoyed it, but... Look will you just eat so we can leave?"

She laughed and pecked his mouth quickly before moving back to her seat so they could finished breakfast.

* * *

Grace stood by Will's locker, books held in her arms as she waited for him to finish gathering his notes for the test they were about to take. Her hair was a frizzy mess of red curls, her jean skirt short with lime green tights covering her legs. The tshirt on her torso was practically see-through, showing her red bralette, but never one with a keen eye for fashion, Grace thought she looked cool. Will wore dark jeans and a button down shirt, his brown hair long and swept to the side out of his eyes, perfectly styled. His clothes were more on the snug side for most boys his age, or any man for that matter, but Will loved the feeling of the soft, expensive fabric against his skin.

"Where are they?" Grace asked, glancing at her wrist watch. "Class starts in five minutes."

Will shrugged, going over his notes one more time. "Who knows. Maybe Karen found someone rich and skipped town."

"Will," Grace warned. "Don't make jokes like that. You know she has it rough."

He ignored her with a smirk. "And Jack could have met a guy on the way here and pretended to be in college and almost get himself kidnapped by a closeted politician."

"Come on, that only happened once..." She jumped when she the heard the warning bell ringing and held a hand to her chest. "Well, I guess they're gonna be la-"

"Hello lovers!" Jack exclaimed as he bounced out of nowhere. He donned a pair of khaki pants and a light blue collared shirt, his backpack slung over his shoulder. Karen strode up behind him, her long hair falling to her waist, an oversized Alice In Chains shirt on her shoulders, and ripped jeans covering her legs with a pair of converse completing the ensemble.

"Oh Grace," Karen scrunched up her nose, giving the taller girl a once over. "What are you wearing, honey?"

Grace gawked. "I could say the same to you!" she exclaimed as she gestured to Karen's outfit.

Karen shook her head with a sympathetic sigh. "At least I have a style. It looks like three different outfits threw up on you."

Grace pouted and looked to Will for reassurance. "You like what I'm wearing, don't you, sweetie?"

Will frowned and opened his mouth to answer when the final bell rang. "Oh! Gotta go!" He ran off down the hall towards the classroom without answering her while Jack and Karen giggled.

During lunch, the foursome sat together at a table in the busy cafeteria.

"So where were you guys this morning?" Grace asked casually before biting into her egg salad sandwich.

"Oh, Karen had to-" Jack began to speak, but a swift kick to his shin from Karen under the table shut him up quickly. He grimaced and tried to discreetly rub his throbbing leg. "Uhh, traffic."

Will and Grace shared a look, but said nothing more on the subject.

"So, what does everyone have planned for the weekend?" Will opened another topic.

"Nothing on my plate," Karen shrugged, picking at her cafeteria food. She grimaced at the coloring of her meatloaf and decided to just eat her bread roll. "Like usual."

Around a mouthful of food, Grace spoke up. "I'm babysitting Joyce." She scrunched up her face and rolled her eyes at the mere thought, swallowing the lump of food in her mouth. "My mom has a play she's _starring in_ ," she used her fingers as quotation marks, "and she's forcing my dad to go so I'm stuck with the little brat."

Jack frowned, noticing Karen's lack of interest in her food, but also relayed his plans to the rest of the table. "Mother and I are going shopping on Saturday, but she's working the late shift at the hospital that night so I've got nothing else." He directed his attention to Karen. "You wanna come over and hang out?"

Karen smiled and pecked his mouth appreciatively. "I'd love to, Poodle."

"I'm free too," Will interjected. "I'd love to come over."

"Oh, me too!" Grace mumbled through another mouthful of her lunch.

Will frowned. "You just said you have to babysit."

"On Friday night."

"We weren't talking about Friday night. We were talking about Saturday."

"You said weekend plans. That includes Friday!"

"It does not!"

Karen sighed and stood up from the table in annoyance. "You guys aren't invited anyway," she said with a huff.

The pair looked up at her with a matching frowns. Will pointed to Jack as he spoke. "It's his house, he can invite who he wants."

"You're not invited," Jack deadpanned and then looked back at Karen who was fishing a pack of cigarettes out of her back pocket. "Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna go smoke under the bleachers." She smacked the pack against her palm repeatedly and then nodded her head in the direction she was intending on going. "Ya comin'?"

Jack stood from the table and threw his trash on the tray, picking Karen's tray up as well. "See you guys later," he said to the couple. He walked the short distance to the trashcan and threw their lunches away, setting the trays on top before coming back to Karen.

"Wha-" Grace pouted. "We're seriously not invited?" Will looked equally offended.

"Aren't you two a couple?" Karen raised her eyebrow pointedly at Will who blushed severely under her gaze. "Shouldn't you two be making out on a basement couch in each other's houses or having pregnancy scares?"

Grace seemed to perk up a bit at the thought of making out with her boyfriend and looked expectantly at Will beside her, nudging his arm with her elbow. "She's right, we could go to the drive-in."

"Ew, what is this, the fifties?" Jack spoke up, putting his hands on Karen's hips as she began to lead him away. "Heteros are so gross."

* * *

Jack watched Karen light up a cigarette and take a long drag as they sat under the bleachers next to the football field. He studied her quietly, noticing the dark circles under her eyes and slight gauntness of her cheeks. Her normally bright green eyes were now a shade darker, a dullness covering the happiness that rarely lurked beneath. He wished he could take all of her troubles away. He harbored a mutual hatred for her mother, disgusted with the way she was treated by her and her boyfriend. How could they not see the angel that hid beneath all the sarcasm and harsh façade? How could they hurt the most amazing girl he had ever met?

"I'm not going to talk about last night," she said dryly as she tapped her cigarette, watching the ashes fall to the concrete beneath her feet.

Of course she knew what he was thinking, she always did. Jack bit his lip and raised his arms above his head, holding tight to the support beam above him that held the bleachers up. "But you know you can talk to me," he said. "About anything. You know you can come to me whenever you need me, right?" He watched her roll her eyes and nod.

"Did I not crawl through your window at eleven pm last night?" she replied sarcastically before she took another drag. "I know I can come to you, honey." Her voice dropped a pitch lower, barely above a whisper. "You're the only one I can go to."

Jack let one of his hands drop from the beam and he reached his arm out, his fingers wiggling in her direction until Karen grabbed his hand with a smile. "I love you, Bear."

The faint sound of the school bell ringing in the distance signaled that lunch was over and they were to head to their last few classes of the day. Karen put out her cigarette and blew the last of the smoke out of her mouth, squeezing Jack's hand. "Walk me to class?"

"Of course," he grinned, tugging on her arm before they crawled out of the bleachers.


	2. Chapter 2

"I do not understand your relationship."

Jack and Karen glanced up and frowned at Will who was staring at them with a mix of disgust and interest on his face. "What?" they replied simultaneously. They looked at each other and giggled, wrapping their pinkies together. "Jinx!" Karen leaned in a pecked Jack's mouth and he pinched her side as she squealed in laughter.

Will's grimace deepened. "See? That!" He gestured to their playful touching and small kisses. Karen was sitting on Jack's lap in the library, but they were avoiding their studies and playing around with each other while Will and Grace sat across them with their noses buried in their text books. "I thought you were just trying to hide your sexuality from your mom, not the whole school?"

Jack shrugged. "I mean, I'm not hiding anything right now. We're just being silly."

Karen nodded in agreement. "Believe me, he's ditched me for a boy before. Many times." She poked his stomach and he smiled, guilty.

"Still it's weird," the other teen said, shaking his head before he went back to his work.

Jack and Karen each rolled their eyes and continued teasing each other until the bell rang. The foursome stood up and gathered their bags, Will and Grace lacing their fingers together as they began their trek to their next class while Jack and Karen head in the opposite direction. "Where are they going?" Grace asked as she looked over her shoulder at the pair walking away.

"Jack has a free period and Karen has AP Art History," Will shook his head, looking behind as well. "How Karen skips classes and still manages straight A's is beyond me." He scrunched up his nose when he saw Karen pinch Jack's ass and the boy stuck his rear end out further so she could do it again. "They really are weird."

Grace smiled, still glancing at their friends. "I think they're cute."

* * *

Jack threw his backpack under the tree and plopped down in the shaded grass, leaning his back against the trunk of the large oak and spreading his legs wide so Karen could sit between. Karen tossed her bag next to his and sat down between his legs, resting her back against his chest. Jack reached down and grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together and placing their connected hands on her stomach. Karen laid her head back against his shoulder and closed her eyes, letting the fall breeze wash over them. No matter how hard she tried to listen to the sound of the leaves brushing together and the birds singing, she couldn't help but hear Will's voice repeating in her head about her and Jack's unconventional relationship.

"Jackie?" she asked quietly, biting her bottom lip.

"Hmm?"

Karen looked down at their intertwined fingers with a frown. "Do you think Will is right? Are we weird?"

He snorted and the movement caused her to look at him. His eyes were still closed as he spoke, looking like he had not a care in the world. "Of course we are, silly."

She raised her eyebrows. "Well is it bad?"

Jack finally opened his eyes to catch her stare. "No, it's not bad. Why would you think that?"

Karen shrugged, dropping her gaze to his chin. "I don't know. I mean even though you're gay and I'm straight-"

"Straight?" he exclaimed, his expression incredulous. "I recall a summer two years ago where you made out with Claire Barnes at the state fair."

"I was running the kissing booth! She paid to kiss me!"

"I had to pry you two apart after two minutes!"

"Anyway!" Karen continued on. "We have a different relationship, yes, but is it healthy?"

Jack pouted in contemplation, staring off at the empty football field. "Well, here's how I see it," he began, locking his eyes back on her. "You're my best friend. We've been friends since 7th grade. You let me experiment with my sexuality and then supported me one hundred percent when I finally came out, you defend me when you think someone is putting me down, you're there for me whenever I need you, and you let me make out with you whenever I want. Is it weird? Yes. Does that matter? No because I love you and I don't care what other people think. I care what you think."

Karen grinned and craned her neck to kiss his cheek. "I love you too," she whispered. "And you're right. Who cares what Wilma says. Or anyone else for that matter! We're happy, right?"

"Right!"

They shared another smile and a giggle and then relaxed back against the tree, enjoying the silence and the nature around them. Karen lived for these moments with Jack. She could forget about her home problems, the terrible memories of moving around so much, the lack of a father figure in her life since her dad passed when she was seven. Jack was stable, secure, and he loved her just the way she was. Karen wasn't sure if he knew how many times he saved her life, how many times he made her realize that she was worth it. And as she lay in his arms now, as he breathed with her and loved her, Karen finally understood what it felt like to love someone so wholly.

"Awww, look, the fag and his hag."

Jack and Karen looked up to see a fellow classmate, Danny Bingnam towering over them with a smirk on his lips and his girlfriend on his arm. Karen's eyebrows shot up when she recognized the girl as Claire Barnes and she looked pointedly at the blonde who blushed severely under her gaze.

"Just leave us alone, Danny," Jack said tiredly, his arms tightening around Karen.

The teen let out a laugh. "See, I would, but you're sitting under my tree, McFairyland."

"D," Claire tugged on the football player's arm. "Let's just go find another spot."

"No," he shook his head and continued to glare down at Jack and Karen. "This princess can get up and take his bitch with him like I asked."

Jack would normally tolerate the name calling and slurs, but the second he called Karen a bitch he shot up off the ground. Karen tumbled a bit, but Claire caught her to which she smiled in appreciation. They stood off to the side to watch Jack get in Danny's face, the rage emanating off his body.

"Take it back," Jack demanded.

Danny raised his eyebrow and grinned. "What, I'm just speaking the truth? You're a little queer boy and your hag over there is a bitch."

Jack shoved Danny back in anger and the football player lost his footing for a moment and then looked back at Jack as his own anger surfaced.

"Jack, leave it alone. It's fine-" Karen tried, but neither boy was listening. She gasped when Danny was the one to push Jack this time and he lost balance, falling back on the grass. She felt Claire grab her hand and Karen squeezed the girl's hand back, watching the scene unfold in front of them and feeling helpless. Jack scrambled off the ground and went to grab at Danny, but the teen dodged him and threw a punch, hitting Jack in the eye.

"Danny, stop!" Claire screamed.

Jack recovered quickly and tackled Danny to the ground, the boys struggling for control as they rolled around.

"Hey!"

The girls spun around to see the gym teacher running out onto the field, a class behind him staring on in amusement as the two boys continued to fight. The teacher pried Jack and Danny apart, holding them both by the collar of their shirts and shoving them in opposite directions. "What the hell are you two doing?" he bellowed, looking between both teens and glancing at Karen and Claire as well.

"Nothing, Coach," Danny shrugged, wiping a smear of blood off his bottom lip. "Claire and I were just walking by when Jack here started going off on me-"

"He's lying!" Karen shrieked, pointing to the boy. "Tell him, Claire!" She looked pleading at the blonde girl who still held her hand.

Claire looked between the four people in front of her and slowly slipped her hand out of Karen's, giving the brunette a look of contrite as she stepped beside Danny. She grimaced when she felt the boy's arm slide around her waist and set her eyes on the teacher. "Danny and I were just minding our own. The next thing I knew they were fighting."

Karen felt tears of anger spring to her eyes at the girl's words. "No," she shook her head. "He was defending me-"

"All right, that's enough," the teacher interrupted. "You shouldn't have even been out here in the first place. I want both of you to head straight to the principle's office. He can decide what your punishment will be. Go. Now."

Jack glared back at Danny who smirked in return, but his gaze shifted when he felt Karen lace her fingers with his. "Its okay, Kare," Jack told her. He tugged her hand and together they walked towards the principle's office while Danny and Claire trekked behind.

* * *

Karen paced the hallway outside the main office, her backpack hanging off one shoulder while she held Jack's tightly between her fingers. He had been in there for a long time and she was growing more nervous as time dragged on. She was pissed, hating the fact that Claire threw Jack under the bus instead of telling the truth. She appreciated Jack defending her, but it got way out of hand. The more she thought on the matter, the more upset she became. She was just about to collapse onto the waiting bench when the door opened and Jack stalked out slowly, a blue and red mark underneath his eye and his expression defeated.

Karen rushed over to him, her eyes wide and her heart racing. "What's going on? What's happening? What did he say?"

Despite all the events, Jack smiled at her concern and grabbed his backpack from her. "I'm suspended for two days," he explained. "My mom is gonna kill me."

"What?" Karen exclaimed. "Two days? But he's the one who-"

"He's suspended too, Kare," Jack told her, grabbing her hand. "No matter what the fight was about, we still fought and for that we are suspended."

Karen pouted, wrapping her arms around his middle and hugging him close. "I'm sorry," she mumbled into his chest. She lifted her head, her chin resting against his sternum. "You got in trouble because you were defending me..."

Jack slid his hands down to her lower back and pressed his lips to her ear. "I will defend you for the rest of your life, Karen. So don't go feeling bad for the choices I decide to make. I would fight Danny again and again for you. Got it?" Karen nodded against him and Jack kissed her temple before pulling back. "Let's go home, Bear."

* * *

The next day was Thursday and the first day Karen had to endure school without her best friend by her side. She basically pouted the entire day and was grumpy towards anyone who spoke to her. At lunch, Grace tried engaging her into a conversation she and Will were having, but Karen just rolled her eyes and pushed her tray of food away before standing up and heading to the bleachers outside so she could smoke. A certain blonde haired girl watched the teen leave the cafeteria and she excused herself from her cheerleader friends to follow.

Karen had just lit up when she felt someone approach her from behind. She didn't bother turning around, figuring if it was a teacher that she would have already been getting yelled at by now. She didn't care either; she hated being at school unless Jack was there with her. He was the one that got her through most of the day.

"Can I bum a smoke?"

Karen's spine straightened at the familiar and she slowly turned to see Claire standing there, a wary look on her face. Licking her lips, the brunette crossed her arms, her cigarette held delicately between her fingers. "Shouldn't you be with your boyfriend?" she sneered.

Claire rolled her eyes and sighed, reaching into Karen's front pocket where her pack of cigarettes was poking out and grabbed one, her other hand swiftly pulling a personalized lighter out from her letterman's jacket so she could light. The shock on Karen's face was evident and Claire smirked. "You already know I'm a lesbian, I'm surprised my smoking habit is the one that makes you speechless."

Karen realized her mouth was hanging open and she quickly clamped it shut, her eyes narrowing with a glare. "What do you want, Claire?"

The blonde took a long drag and let it out slowly, her eyes scanning Karen before she spoke. "I wanted to apologize for the other day."

Karen scoffed, shaking her head. "I just don't get it," she said. "Why didn't you tell the truth?"

Claire looked down at her shoes and swayed back and forth slightly, as if debating whether or not she was going to explain her actions and words from yesterday. Karen could feel the nerves radiating off of her and for a split second she felt sorry for the girl. "Like I said," the blonde began. "You're the only one who knows who I really am. Well, and Jack obviously. I'm just not ready to come out. To anyone. And if it got out that I'm..."

"Queer?" Karen raised her eyebrow.

Claire swallowed, nodding her head. "As soon as I graduate, I'm moving out of state and starting new. I'm going to live the way I'm supposed to, as a proud lesbian. But until then I have to put up some bullshit image for my family. And that bullshit image includes having a quarterback boyfriend and being on the cheerleading squad."

"Look," Karen started, stepping towards the girl and placing a hand on her arm. "You don't have to explain anything about hiding in the closet to me. I'm 'dating' the biggest homo in the school, remember?" She offered a smile and Claire grinned in return. "But secret or no secret, you didn't tell the truth about what happened yesterday. Your so called 'boyfriend' is a homophobe and I'm surprised you even affiliate with him at all."

"But I-"

"I know, your image." Karen took one last drag and put out her cigarette. "But you still could have told the truth without revealing anything about yourself."

Claire nodded slowly, looking ashamed as she took another drag. "You're right," she agreed. She looked up, her blue eyes shining. "Tell Jack I'm sorry?"

Karen smiled. "I will, honey." She moved to step away when Claire's hand on her arm stopped her. She barely had a chance to glance her way when she felt a pair of soft lips on her own. Karen gasped, her body frozen for a few moments, but Claire's persistent lips melted her quickly and she found herself kissing her back. She felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach as she opened her mouth and let her tongue brush the blonde's, tasting a mixture of tobacco and the tang of salad dressing from the cheerleader's lunch. Her touch was soft, sensual, and slow. Karen was completely infatuated.

Claire pulled away almost unwillingly, her eyes opening and a grin tugging her lips. "Sorry," she whispered. "I've been wanting to do that since the kissing booth years ago."

"Don't apologize," Karen smirked. "I hope one day we can do it again."

* * *

After school, Karen walked to Jack's. She climbed her way up the terrace and maneuvered her way through the open window of his bedroom. As she started to slide through, her foot got caught on the windowsill and she lost balance, falling hard on her knee. A loud thump sounded from her body hitting the ground and she screamed out, "Motherfuck!"

Jack came barreling into the room seconds later and saw his best friend on the floor, cradling her knee to her chest. He immediately got down and scooped her up, holding her bridal style in his arms. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked with a grin as he carried her to the kitchen. "You could have knocked on the front door?"

"I always come in through the window," she pouted, her tone obvious. He set her down on a chair and grabbed an ice pack from the freezer, putting it on her throbbing knee. "So Claire apologized today."

Jack raised his eyebrow and sat across from her, grabbing her ankle and bringing her foot into his lap so her knee was elevated. "Oh?"

Karen nodded, biting her lip. "And we kind of kissed?"

Jack's jaw dropped, his eyes wide with surprise. "You what?!"

"Believe me," Karen held her hands up in defense. "I just as shocked. But we were smoking under the bleachers-"

"Claire smokes?"

"So not the point of this, honey, but yes, the cheerleader smokes." She shook her head and continued on. "Anyway, she apologized to me and told me to tell you sorry and we were talking about how she's closeted and has to keep up an image for her family and then she kissed me and damn, honey..." She fanned her herself as she replayed the kiss over again in her head, knowing her cheeks were a deep shade of red.

"So what does this mean?" he asked curiously. "Does she like, want to date you?"

Karen shrugged, unsure of what it all meant herself. "I don't know, Poodle. I just know it was a hot kiss."

"Show me!" Jack bounced in his seat, clapping his hands excitedly. Karen rolled her eyes and removed the ice from her knee before standing up and sauntering over to Jack. She straddled his hips, pressing herself as close him as she could, her groin brushing perfectly over his. Her palms cupped his jaw and just before her mouth touched his he started to giggle. "She was not sitting on your lap," he said.

Karen glared down at him. "Do you want me to show you or not?" At his enthusiastic nod, Karen smiled and leaned down, capturing his lips in a slow, deep kiss. Jack's hands immediately went to her waist and then slid down to her backside, holding her impossibly closer while Karen moaned. His lips parted under her prying tongue and she slid inside, exploring the depths of his mouth. They pulled apart a minute or so later and Karen raised her eyebrow at Jack's dazed expression. "Good, right?"

"Wow," Jack said. "She's a great kisser."

Karen nodded in agreement. She gazed into his eyes adoringly, but suddenly frowned when she saw the bruise that Claire's asshole of a boyfriend caused. She reached over and grabbed the ice pack she was using for her knee and rest it delicately on his face. Jack winced under her actions and Karen leaned in to kiss his forehead in an apology. "He really did a number on your face there, Poodle."

Sighing, Jack tilted his head back, resting it on the back of the chair and letting the ice cool his overheated cheek. "Yeah, I got a few good licks in myself, though."

"You scratched him like a girl."

"Did it or did it not hurt?"

Karen chuckled and took the pack off his face, setting it on the table before she laid her head down on his chest, her nose pressed to his neck. Jack's hands smoothed over her back and he hummed contentedly. "What time is your mom coming home from work?" she asked.

Jack peeked one eye open to check the time on the kitchen wall clock. "Not until seven or eight."

Karen raised her head up and pouted at him. "Can we take a nap?"

* * *

Later that evening, Jack and Karen were walking down the streets of New York, their fingers laced together and their arms swinging between them. After an hour long nap and two hours worth of homework, Karen decided she better head home before Judith arrived. Jack, not wanting his best friend to walk home alone at seven pm, left a note for his mom and together they began their trek towards Karen's apartment. The walk was filled with a comfortable silence, the sounds of the busy streets and restaurants they passed filling the air. Jack had bundled Karen up in his jean jacket when he noticed the fall breeze made her shiver and she grinned at him in thanks, giving him an appreciative peck on the mouth when he finished buttoning her up.

He walked her all the way up to her floor and watched her dig through her jeans pockets until she came up with her key. She turned to him before she unlocked the door and puckered her lips for a goodbye kiss, but Jack shook his head, pointing to the door. "I'm walking you in, little lady."

Karen furrowed her brows and opened her mouth to protest when the door behind her swung open. Both teens jumped at the sudden movement and looked to see Bernie standing there with a look of disdain on his face. He sneered at Jack and then settled his eyes on Karen. "Your mother has been worried sick about you. Get in here and help her with dinner." With that he went back into the tiny apartment, leaving Jack and Karen in the hallway.

Karen rolled her eyes and looked up at her friend. "I'll come by again tomorrow after school."

"Karen," Jack ignored her, grabbing each of her hands in his and squeezing. "Call me if you need me, okay? I will meet you somewhere or come pick you up. I have my own phone line so my mom will have no idea. She even said if you need a place-"

"Jack," she interrupted, a warm smile on her face. "I know, honey."

"Kiki!" Lois yelled from somewhere inside.

"I gotta go, Poodle," she said, backing away, her hands slipping from his grasp. "I love you."

Jack watched her turn around and close the door, the lock sliding into place. "Love you too, Kare."


End file.
